Kakao said Tuesday it will update the KakaoTalk messenger to remove the Instagram-style feed that sparked widespread public complaints and restore the original version of the Friends tab. The update will be rolled out in stages starting Tuesday, allowing users to either use the Friends tab as a contact list or retain the current design, according to Kakao. The move came about three months after the company introduced major user interface (UI) changes for KakaoTalk, its biggest overhaul in 15 years, in September as it seeks to evolve from a simple messaging app into a more comprehensive social media platform. The Friends tab, which had previously listed contacts in Korean alphabetical order, was redesigned into a grid-style feed similar to Instagram, featuring photos and posts uploaded by friends, with ads of the same size placed in between. Friends' profile update history and posts were also reorganized into a timeline format. The sweeping update, however, triggered mounting complaints from users, many of whom called for the changes to be reversed. About a week after the rollout, Kakao ann